Lotteries come in many popular formats ranging from instant games using lottery tickets known as “scratch cards”; to periodic, long-odds, large jackpot games such as Powerball® games. While the purchase of a lottery ticket is considered irrational from the perspective of classical economics, it clearly enables some purchasers to experience the thrill of the chance of winning a large “jackpot” prize and to indulge in the fantasy of “becoming wealthy”. Even though many lotteries pay lesser prizes for matching just some of the winning numbers (to increase the odds of players winning at least something), the reality is that each lottery ticket or card typically has only one chance of winning per individual lottery game, the odds of winning the lottery “jackpot” prize are extremely poor, most large jackpot lottery games are periodic with limited play each week, and most individual lottery games do not produce a “jackpot” winner.
Keno is a lottery-like or bingo-like game played in many casinos and also offered in some state lottery systems. Players are paid based on: (a) how many numbers on their ticket, if any, match the numbers drawn; and (b) the paytable selected and the amount wagered. While keno games also pay lesser prizes for matching just some of the numbers drawn, the odds of winning any of the “large prizes” are extremely poor and most keno games do not produce a “large prize” winner.
A card game is any game using “playing cards”, be they traditional or game-specific, as the primary medium with which the game is played. Card games typically involve the “shuffling”, “dealing”, and/or “drawing” of these playing cards, and many of them use a “dealer”. Popular casino card games include games such as “Poker” where players compete against each other to win the “pot”, and games such as “Blackjack” where players compete against the “house” to win. In each “play” of each of these card games, while the “maximum amount” a player can win varies according to his wager(s), there is always a “winner” of that “maximum amount”, or multiple “winners” splitting that “maximum amount”.
Most card games strictly limit the number of players allowed per game, while others are self-limiting due to the total number of cards available for play; accordingly, most card games accommodate 10 or fewer players. Because of the limited number of players, the “maximum amount” available to win in each game is often much less than the large “jackpots” typically seen in most lottery games.